Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Hag is a horror movie about a gay man and a woman who is obsessed with him.
Rowan (Ryan de Villiers) is an aspiring musician working as a barista with his friend and confidant, Opal (Adore Delano). After the sudden death of his boyfriend, he’s forced to rent out the spare bedroom to help pay the bills. One day, Mag (Jane de Wet) shows up at the coffee shop and recognizes him as an old high school friend. Rowan can’t quite remember her until Mag explains that she’d had a glow up. Mag asks if he wants to hang with her, but Rowan explains that he can’t because he has to get the apartment ready for his new roommate. Instead of taking no for an answer, Mag invites herself over to help him fix the place up.
As they get acquainted and straighten up, they also drink, get loose, and Mag ends up spending the night. The following day, Mag makes breakfast. Rowan has to leave for work and asks Mag to leave the key under the mat for the new roommate. She agrees, and he leaves.
After work, Rowan comes home to find out that the new roommate never showed up. Mag mentions that she hasn’t found an apartment yet and ends up moving in. And with that, the horrific drama begins.
Some Thoughts:
Hag delivers so much campy horror goodness that it’s easy to forgive its faults. The story makes no sense, especially when it comes to Mag’s past, but she wreaks enough havoc that the holes in her backstory are easily forgotten. Where things fall apart, especially for me, is that Rowan never seems grief stricken. The story takes place not long after his boyfriend’s death, but all he cares about is being able to pay the rent. I get that this is major aspect of the story, but didn’t he love the guy?
Aside from Rowan’s lack of grieving, the rest of the plot falls into place. It’s stupid beyond belief and makes for some foolish fun. Mag has some great over the top moments, and her manipulations only work because Rowan is so damn clueless. There are also some wonderfully uncomfortable moments involving Mag’s fingernails that hit the mark perfectly.
The acting, production values, and cinematography are all passable. It looks and feels like a well-done television movie of the week. The gore is low and the horror isn’t anything a pre-teen couldn’t handle.
The Final Verdict:
Hag is a mindless piece of trash for those who enjoy that type of thing. The story makes no sense, but there are some uncomfortable moments and a few laughs. And yes, it has Adore Delano.